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To the Editor.—As anyone would have been, I was moved by the description of the sudden tragedy that befell the woman in Dr Beasley's A Piece of My Mind entitled "Whispering Through the Keyhole."¹ The patient's lethal basilar artery occlusion certainly was unanticipated by her or her family. Yet, death likely had been discussed between them at some earlier moment in her life. This otherwise healthy "40-something" woman may well have been a suitable potential donor of several vital organs. I was left wondering whether organ donation had been considered by either her medical team or the family. Certainly, inclusion of the active sharing of the "gift of life" would have made her personal legacy more profound and this fine piece of literature even more moving.

Amy L. Friedman, MD
Yale University
New Haven, Conn

1. Beasley BW. Whispering through the keyhole. JAMA. 1997;278:2061. FREE FULL TEXT

In Reply.—Dr Friedman raises an extremely important point. Surely, we each have a . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Whispering Through the Keyhole
Brent W. Beasley
JAMA. 1997;278(23):2061.
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